EP0569156A2 - Optimizing print quality and reliability in a CYMK printing system - Google Patents
Optimizing print quality and reliability in a CYMK printing system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0569156A2 EP0569156A2 EP93303036A EP93303036A EP0569156A2 EP 0569156 A2 EP0569156 A2 EP 0569156A2 EP 93303036 A EP93303036 A EP 93303036A EP 93303036 A EP93303036 A EP 93303036A EP 0569156 A2 EP0569156 A2 EP 0569156A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- ink
- black
- yellow
- diethylene glycol
- magenta
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 238000007639 printing Methods 0.000 title description 9
- 239000000976 ink Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 61
- MTHSVFCYNBDYFN-UHFFFAOYSA-N diethylene glycol Chemical compound OCCOCCO MTHSVFCYNBDYFN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 36
- -1 sodium cations Chemical class 0.000 claims description 12
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000010304 firing Methods 0.000 claims description 11
- 239000000975 dye Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 230000000844 anti-bacterial effect Effects 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000003899 bactericide agent Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 230000003115 biocidal effect Effects 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000003139 biocide Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000003086 colorant Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000000872 buffer Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000002253 acid Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000001045 blue dye Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000019241 carbon black Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000009472 formulation Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052744 lithium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910052708 sodium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000011734 sodium Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- UJMBCXLDXJUMFB-GLCFPVLVSA-K tartrazine Chemical compound [Na+].[Na+].[Na+].[O-]C(=O)C1=NN(C=2C=CC(=CC=2)S([O-])(=O)=O)C(=O)C1\N=N\C1=CC=C(S([O-])(=O)=O)C=C1 UJMBCXLDXJUMFB-GLCFPVLVSA-K 0.000 claims description 3
- 235000012756 tartrazine Nutrition 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000004149 tartrazine Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910021538 borax Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 235000010339 sodium tetraborate Nutrition 0.000 claims description 2
- BSVBQGMMJUBVOD-UHFFFAOYSA-N trisodium borate Chemical compound [Na+].[Na+].[Na+].[O-]B([O-])[O-] BSVBQGMMJUBVOD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000008057 potassium phosphate buffer Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 abstract description 5
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 abstract description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 abstract description 4
- 238000005457 optimization Methods 0.000 abstract description 2
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 abstract description 2
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 10
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 3
- DMSMPAJRVJJAGA-UHFFFAOYSA-N benzo[d]isothiazol-3-one Chemical compound C1=CC=C2C(=O)NSC2=C1 DMSMPAJRVJJAGA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 238000002161 passivation Methods 0.000 description 2
- LWIHDJKSTIGBAC-UHFFFAOYSA-K tripotassium phosphate Chemical compound [K+].[K+].[K+].[O-]P([O-])([O-])=O LWIHDJKSTIGBAC-UHFFFAOYSA-K 0.000 description 2
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000012141 concentrate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007641 inkjet printing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052700 potassium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910000160 potassium phosphate Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 235000011009 potassium phosphates Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910010271 silicon carbide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010409 thin film Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/21—Ink jet for multi-colour printing
- B41J2/2103—Features not dealing with the colouring process per se, e.g. construction of printers or heads, driving circuit adaptations
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
- B41J11/0015—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing
- B41J11/002—Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to thermal ink-jet printers and, more particularly, to CYMK (cyan, yellow, magenta, black) color thermal ink-jet printers employing a heating means to assist in drying the ink after it is jetted onto a print medium.
- CYMK cyan, yellow, magenta, black
- Thermal ink-jet printers operate by using a resistance element that is controllably energized to expel ink droplets through a nozzle onto a print medium.
- Each heater resistor and its associated nozzle is located in a firing chamber, into which ink is introduced from an ink refill slot via an ink feed channel.
- the drop mass of all cartridges will increase as the cartridge heats up from being exposed to the heated printing environment.
- the diameter of the nozzles for the black ink is set at a first value, which is larger than that used for the color inks. It has been found that merely changing the nozzle diameter is sufficient to change the droplet size.
- This invention achieves optimum print quality and reliability under hot head conditions by only changing the orifice size in the top nozzle plate of the printhead. This method of achieving the desired drop masses has several advantages over previous designs:
- FIG. 1 depicts an ink-jet printer 10 , showing a portion thereof only, comprising a print medium 12 moved past a print cartridge, or pen, 14 having affixed thereto a printhead 16 in operative association with the print medium.
- the printhead 16 establishes a print zone 18 .
- the print medium 12 is moved along a paper path in the printer, in the direction denoted by the arrow A , and the print cartridge 14 is moved orthogonal thereto.
- the print medium 12 is moved by a drive roller 20 onto a screen 22 .
- a drive plate 24 positioned after the drive roller 20 and prior to the print cartridge 14 aids in holding print medium 12 flat on the screen 22 .
- the screen 22 which acts like a platen, is perforated so as to permit the drying of the print medium, as described more fully below.
- the print medium 12 exits the print zone 18 by means of an exit roller 26 and a plurality of starwheels 28 to be collected in a paper collection means, such as a tray (not shown).
- a recent modification in thermal ink-jet printers involves the use of a heating means, generally depicted at 30 , which is positioned close to the print zone 18 .
- the heating means 30 is depicted as comprising a print heater 32 and a reflector 34 , which serves to concentrate the heat on the bottom of the print medium 12 , through the screen 22 .
- the heating means 30 may comprise any of the usual heat sources, such as heating elements, blowers, and the like, and the invention is not so limited as to the heating source.
- the invention limited to the placement of the heating source, which may be ahead of the print zone 18 , behind the print zone, or in the print zone or which may be located beneath the print medium 12 , as shown, or above it.
- FIGS. 2 and 3 depict in cross-section a portion of the printhead 16 , comprising a substrate 36 , a barrier layer 38 , and an orifice plate, or member, 40 with an opening, or nozzle, 42 therein.
- the nozzle 42 is positioned above a thermal element 44 , commonly a resistor element, or heater-resistor.
- the orifice plate 40 has a plurality of nozzles 42 in it, each one operatively associated with a resistor 44 , as is well-known.
- the present invention is not limited to the particular orifice member 40 employed, which may be separate or integral with the barrier layer 38 . Indeed, any orifice member overlying the thermal element 44 may be employed in the practice of the invention.
- ink fills an ink feed channel 48 , as shown by arrow B ; each resistor is fed by such a channel, which is defined by the substrate 36 , the barrier layer 38 , and the orifice plate 40 .
- Each resistor 44 is connected by an electrically conductive trace (not shown) to a current source, which, under control of a computer (not shown), sends current pulses to selected resistors 44 , causing a droplet of ink to be expelled through the nozzle 42 and onto the print medium 12 in a desired pattern of alphanumeric characters, area fill, and other print patterns.
- a computer not shown
- FIGS. 2 and 3 also depict the ink flow path, shown by arrow B , up through ink refill slot 54 , into the ink feed channel 48 , and into firing chamber 50 .
- a passivation layer 56 lies over the substrate 36 and the resistor 44 .
- This passivation layer typically comprises a silicon nitride-silicon carbide material, as is well-known. Additionally, there are several other layers in the thin film construction of an ink-jet printhead; these are omitted from the drawing for clarity.
- FIGS. 2 and 3 although not drawn to scale, are drawn so as to be consistent with each other.
- FIG. 2 depicts a portion of a printhead for a black ink cartridge.
- the diameter of the black ink nozzle 42 is about 45 ⁇ m.
- the diameter of the color ink nozzle 42 ' is about 40 ⁇ m.
- the amount of black ink to be delivered to the print medium 12 must be larger, due to text considerations and to the fact that only one dot of ink is required per pixel on the printed medium, compared with printing a color, which, depending on the color, may require one or two dots of ink per pixel.
- the situation is further complicated by the presence of the heater 30 associated with the printer 10 , which is positioned so as to dry the ink relatively quickly on the print medium 12 .
- the nozzle diameter for room temperature thermal ink-jet printers is typically about 52 ⁇ m, such nozzle diameters in heated thermal ink-jet printers would result in a substantially increased droplet volume, with loss of print quality due to bleed of adjacent colors and excessively bold characters.
- the heater printer employed is designed to provide at least 300 dot-per-inch (DPI) resolution; higher resolution is also contemplated.
- DPI dot-per-inch
- the invention is not limited to such higher resolutions, and is also useful in printers providing a resolution of more than 180 DPI. In all such printers, it is desired to place dots on the print medium 12 so that when adjacent dots grow on paper, they will just touch when dry.
- nozzle diameters given above in a thermal ink-jet printer provides about 115 pl of black ink (45 ⁇ m diameter nozzle) and about 95 pl of color ink (40 ⁇ m diameter nozzle), measured at ambient conditions. (In the heated environment, the drop volume increases by about 1 pl/°C.) The three-sigma limit in both cases is about 12 pl, and is dictated by manufacturing tolerances.
- the change in nozzle diameter only is sufficient to create the requisite change in droplet size.
- the size of the heater resistor 44 is maintained at the same size, as are the dimensions of the firing chamber 50 and ink feed channel 48 .
- manufacturing costs are kept low, since the only difference between the color printheads and the black printhead is the nozzle plate 40 , with its given nozzle diameters.
- the following ink formulations are preferably employed: Cyan : about 5 to 15 wt%, and preferably about 7.9 wt%, diethylene glycol, about 0.5 to 5.0 wt%, and preferably about 1.1 wt%, Acid Blue dye (sodium cations), about 0.1 to 1.0 wt% bactericide, and preferably about 0.3 wt% NUOCEPT biocide (NUOCEPT is a tradename of Hüls America, Piscataway, NJ), balance water; Yellow : about 5 to 15 wt%, and preferably about 5.4 wt%, diethylene glycol, about 0.5 to 5.0 wt%, and preferably about 1.25 wt%, Acid Yellow 23 dye (tetramethylammonium cations), about 0.1 to 1.0 wt% bactericide, and preferably about 0.3 wt% NUOCEPT biocide, about 0.08 wt% buffer, preferably potassium
- the ink 46 that enters the ink refill slot 54 is provided from a reservoir (not shown) either contained within the body of the print cartridge 14 or external thereto.
- a reservoir (not shown) either contained within the body of the print cartridge 14 or external thereto.
- one or more print cartridges, each cartridge associated with one or more ink reservoirs may be employed.
Landscapes
- Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
- Ink Jet (AREA)
- Inks, Pencil-Leads, Or Crayons (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates generally to thermal ink-jet printers and, more particularly, to CYMK (cyan, yellow, magenta, black) color thermal ink-jet printers employing a heating means to assist in drying the ink after it is jetted onto a print medium.
- Thermal ink-jet printers operate by using a resistance element that is controllably energized to expel ink droplets through a nozzle onto a print medium. Each heater resistor and its associated nozzle is located in a firing chamber, into which ink is introduced from an ink refill slot via an ink feed channel. There are typically a plurality of heater resistors and associated nozzles in a given printhead, permitting the printing of alphanumeric characters, area-fill, and the like.
- In previous Hewlett-Packard color ink-jet printers having a resolution of 180 dots-per-inch, satisfactory printing was obtained using the same nozzle diameters for the color inks and for the black ink.
- However, in a higher resolution color ink-jet printer, it is desirable to have a larger drop mass for the black cartridge than for the CYM cartridges. This is because the black dots on paper are made from a single color and must be made larger to accommodate this fact as well as achieve optimal text print quality, which requires larger drop mass. Since red, green, and blue are made from two drops (see the Table below), the resultant dot size on the print medium is larger than for cyan, yellow, or magenta alone.
Table Printing Color in a CYMK Printing System Desired Color Cartridge Colors # of Drops Cyan Yellow Magenta Black Cyan X 1 Yellow X 1 Magenta X 1 Red X X 2 Green X X 2 Blue X X 2 Black X 1
If the same larger drop mass from the black cartridge is used for the cyan, yellow, and magenta cartridges, the resultant red, green, and blue dot size would be unacceptably large. By designing a lower drop mass cartridge for the cyan, yellow, and magenta colors, optimal dot size is achieved for all colors (C,Y,M,R,G,B,K). - Furthermore, in a heated printing system, the drop mass of all cartridges will increase as the cartridge heats up from being exposed to the heated printing environment.
- Prior solutions to the problem of droplet size have been accomplished by using totally different architectures for the color and black cartridges. For example, U.S. Patent 4,746,935, issued to Ross R. Allen and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, teaches that in order to change the droplet size, the size of the resistor, the nozzle, the firing chamber, and the ink feed channel all must be changed. Smaller size droplets are created by reducing all four elements relative to those for a larger size droplet.
- There remains a need to provide a pre-determined droplet size, yet keep the pen architecture as simple as possible.
- In accordance with the invention, the diameter of the nozzles for the black ink is set at a first value, which is larger than that used for the color inks. It has been found that merely changing the nozzle diameter is sufficient to change the droplet size.
- By designing the drop mass properly (i.e., lower than normal), optimum print quality and reliability is achieved when the cartridge reaches steady state operating temperature. This mode of operation has been termed "hot head". Pens used in a heated thermal ink-jet printing system cannot be run in a "cold" (i.e., ambient) environment and achieve optimal print quality.
- This invention achieves optimum print quality and reliability under hot head conditions by only changing the orifice size in the top nozzle plate of the printhead. This method of achieving the desired drop masses has several advantages over previous designs:
- (1) Optimization/testing of the barriers and resistor topology is done only once for the cyan, yellow, magenta, and black cartridges.
- (2) Operating energy in the printer is the same for the cyan, yellow, magenta, and black cartridges, thus simplifying the product design. Common energy requirements for all cartridges is not assured with the previous designs.
- (3) Manufacturing is greatly simplified, since the only part, other than the ink and some packaging, that is different between the black and color cartridges is the top nozzle plate.
-
- FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a portion of a thermal ink-jet printer, employing heating means, depicting the relation of the print cartridge with its printhead to the print medium and heating means;
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a printhead in a black ink cartridge, depicting one heater resistor and its associated nozzle; and
- FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, but for a printhead in color ink cartridges.
- FIG. 1 depicts an ink-
jet printer 10, showing a portion thereof only, comprising aprint medium 12 moved past a print cartridge, or pen, 14 having affixed thereto aprinthead 16 in operative association with the print medium. Theprinthead 16 establishes aprint zone 18. As is customary, theprint medium 12 is moved along a paper path in the printer, in the direction denoted by the arrow A, and theprint cartridge 14 is moved orthogonal thereto. Theprint medium 12 is moved by adrive roller 20 onto ascreen 22. Adrive plate 24, positioned after thedrive roller 20 and prior to theprint cartridge 14 aids in holdingprint medium 12 flat on thescreen 22. Thescreen 22, which acts like a platen, is perforated so as to permit the drying of the print medium, as described more fully below. Theprint medium 12 exits theprint zone 18 by means of anexit roller 26 and a plurality ofstarwheels 28 to be collected in a paper collection means, such as a tray (not shown). - A recent modification in thermal ink-jet printers involves the use of a heating means, generally depicted at 30, which is positioned close to the
print zone 18. In FIG. 1, the heating means 30 is depicted as comprising aprint heater 32 and areflector 34, which serves to concentrate the heat on the bottom of theprint medium 12, through thescreen 22. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the heating means 30 may comprise any of the usual heat sources, such as heating elements, blowers, and the like, and the invention is not so limited as to the heating source. Nor is the invention limited to the placement of the heating source, which may be ahead of theprint zone 18, behind the print zone, or in the print zone or which may be located beneath theprint medium 12, as shown, or above it. - FIGS. 2 and 3 depict in cross-section a portion of the
printhead 16, comprising asubstrate 36, abarrier layer 38, and an orifice plate, or member, 40 with an opening, or nozzle, 42 therein. Thenozzle 42 is positioned above athermal element 44, commonly a resistor element, or heater-resistor. In practice, theorifice plate 40 has a plurality ofnozzles 42 in it, each one operatively associated with aresistor 44, as is well-known. The present invention is not limited to theparticular orifice member 40 employed, which may be separate or integral with thebarrier layer 38. Indeed, any orifice member overlying thethermal element 44 may be employed in the practice of the invention. - In operation, ink fills an
ink feed channel 48, as shown by arrow B; each resistor is fed by such a channel, which is defined by thesubstrate 36, thebarrier layer 38, and theorifice plate 40. Eachresistor 44 is connected by an electrically conductive trace (not shown) to a current source, which, under control of a computer (not shown), sends current pulses to selectedresistors 44, causing a droplet of ink to be expelled through thenozzle 42 and onto theprint medium 12 in a desired pattern of alphanumeric characters, area fill, and other print patterns. The details of such thermal ink-jet printers are described, for example, in the Hewlett-Packard Journal, Vol. 36, No. 5, May 1985, and do not form a part of this invention. - FIGS. 2 and 3 also depict the ink flow path, shown by arrow B, up through
ink refill slot 54, into theink feed channel 48, and intofiring chamber 50. A passivation layer 56 lies over thesubstrate 36 and theresistor 44. This passivation layer typically comprises a silicon nitride-silicon carbide material, as is well-known. Additionally, there are several other layers in the thin film construction of an ink-jet printhead; these are omitted from the drawing for clarity. - FIGS. 2 and 3, although not drawn to scale, are drawn so as to be consistent with each other. FIG. 2 depicts a portion of a printhead for a black ink cartridge. In accordance with the invention, the diameter of the
black ink nozzle 42 is about 45 µm. FIG. 3, which is a similar view to FIG. 2, depicts a portion of a printhead for a color ink cartridge. In accordance with the invention, the diameter of the color ink nozzle 42' is about 40 µm. - As indicated earlier, the amount of black ink to be delivered to the
print medium 12 must be larger, due to text considerations and to the fact that only one dot of ink is required per pixel on the printed medium, compared with printing a color, which, depending on the color, may require one or two dots of ink per pixel. - The situation is further complicated by the presence of the
heater 30 associated with theprinter 10, which is positioned so as to dry the ink relatively quickly on theprint medium 12. While the nozzle diameter for room temperature thermal ink-jet printers is typically about 52 µm, such nozzle diameters in heated thermal ink-jet printers would result in a substantially increased droplet volume, with loss of print quality due to bleed of adjacent colors and excessively bold characters. - In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the heater printer employed is designed to provide at least 300 dot-per-inch (DPI) resolution; higher resolution is also contemplated. However, the invention is not limited to such higher resolutions, and is also useful in printers providing a resolution of more than 180 DPI. In all such printers, it is desired to place dots on the
print medium 12 so that when adjacent dots grow on paper, they will just touch when dry. - The use of nozzle diameters given above in a thermal ink-jet printer provides about 115 pl of black ink (45 µm diameter nozzle) and about 95 pl of color ink (40 µm diameter nozzle), measured at ambient conditions. (In the heated environment, the drop volume increases by about 1 pl/°C.) The three-sigma limit in both cases is about 12 pl, and is dictated by manufacturing tolerances.
- Importantly, it will be appreciated that the change in nozzle diameter only is sufficient to create the requisite change in droplet size. As a consequence, the size of the
heater resistor 44 is maintained at the same size, as are the dimensions of the firingchamber 50 andink feed channel 48. Thus, manufacturing costs are kept low, since the only difference between the color printheads and the black printhead is thenozzle plate 40, with its given nozzle diameters. - In the color thermal ink-jet printer with modified printhead as described above, the following ink formulations are preferably employed:
Cyan:
about 5 to 15 wt%, and preferably about 7.9 wt%, diethylene glycol,
about 0.5 to 5.0 wt%, and preferably about 1.1 wt%, Acid Blue dye (sodium cations),
about 0.1 to 1.0 wt% bactericide, and preferably about 0.3 wt% NUOCEPT biocide (NUOCEPT is a tradename of Hüls America, Piscataway, NJ),
balance water;
Yellow:
about 5 to 15 wt%, and preferably about 5.4 wt%, diethylene glycol,
about 0.5 to 5.0 wt%, and preferably about 1.25 wt%, Acid Yellow 23 dye (tetramethylammonium cations),
about 0.1 to 1.0 wt% bactericide, and preferably about 0.3 wt% NUOCEPT biocide,
about 0.08 wt% buffer, preferably potassium phosphate,
balance water;
Magenta:
about 5 to 15 wt%, and preferably about 7.9 wt%, diethylene glycol,
about 0.5 to 5.0 wt%, and preferably about 2.5 wt%, Direct Red 227 dye (tetramethylammonium cations),
about 0.1 to 1.0 wt% bactericide, and preferably about 0.3 wt% NUOCEPT biocide,
balance water; and
Black:
about 5 to 15 wt%, and preferably about 5.5 wt%, diethylene glycol,
about 0.5 to 5.0 wt%, and preferably about 2.5 wt%, Food Black 2 dye (lithium cations),
about 0.05 to 1.0 wt% bactericide, and preferably about 0.08 wt% PROXEL biocide
(PROXEL is a tradename of ICI America),
about 0.2 wt% buffer, preferably sodium borate,
balance water. - The ink 46 that enters the
ink refill slot 54 is provided from a reservoir (not shown) either contained within the body of theprint cartridge 14 or external thereto. In a color printer, one or more print cartridges, each cartridge associated with one or more ink reservoirs, may be employed. - The use of a larger nozzle diameter in printheads for black ink cartridges and a smaller nozzle diameter in printheads for color ink cartridges is expected to find use in thermal ink-jet printers employing heating means for assisting in the drying of ink.
- Thus, there has been disclosed a structure in black and color printheads for optimizing print quality and reliability in a CYMK printing system. It will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications of an obvious nature may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such changes and modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims (9)
- A thermal ink-jet pen 14 adapted for use in a heated environment to achieve higher density resolution, said thermal ink-jet pen including a printhead 16 which includes a plurality of heater-resistors 44, each in a firing chamber 50 supplied with ink from an ink reservoir through an ink refill slot 54 fluidically communicating with said firing chamber by means of an ink feed channel 48, said printhead further including a nozzle member 40 comprising a plurality of nozzles 42, each nozzle associated with a heater-resistor, through which droplets of ink are expelled toward a print medium 12, said pen adapted to contain at least one of three different colors and black inks, in which the size of said resistor and the dimensions of said firing chamber and ink feed channel are the same for each of said color and black inks and in which the diameter of nozzles associated with heater-resistors firing black ink is larger than the diameter of nozzles associated with heater resistors firing any of said color inks.
- The thermal ink-jet pen of Claim 1 wherein said color inks comprise cyan, yellow, and magenta colors.
- The thermal ink-jet pen of Claim 2 wherein said inks are given by the formulation
Cyan:
about 5 to 15 wt% diethylene glycol,
about 0.5 to 5.0 wt% Acid Blue dye (sodium cations),
about 0.1 to 1.0 wt% bactericide,
balance water;
Yellow:
about 5 to 15 wt% diethylene glycol,
about 0.5 to 5.0 wt% Acid Yellow 23 dye (tetramethylammonium cations),
about 0.1 to 1.0 wt% bactericide,
about 0.08 wt% buffer,
balance water;
Magenta:
about 5 to 15 wt% diethylene glycol,
about 0.5 to 5.0 wt% Direct Red 227 dye (tetramethylammonium cations),
about 0.1 to 1.0 wt% bactericide,
balance water; and
Black:
about 5 to 15 wt% diethylene glycol,
about 0.5 to 5.0 wt% Food Black 2 dye (lithium cations),
about 0.05 to 1.0 wt% bactericide,
about 0.2 wt% buffer,
balance water. - The thermal ink-jet pen of Claim 3 wherein said inks are given by the formulation
about 7.9 wt% diethylene glycol,
about 1.1 wt% Acid Blue dye (sodium cations),
about 0.3 wt% biocide,
balance water;
Yellow:
about 5.4 wt% diethylene glycol,
about 1.25 wt% Acid Yellow 23 dye (tetramethylammonium cations),
about 0.3 wt% biocide,
about 0.08 wt% potassium phosphate buffer,
balance water;
Magenta:
about 7.9 wt% diethylene glycol,
about 2.5 wt% Direct Red 227 dye (tetramethylammonium cations),
about 0.3 wt% biocide,
balance water; and
Black:
about 5.5 wt% diethylene glycol,
about 2.5 wt% Food Black 2 dye (lithium cations),
about 0.08 wt% biocide,
about 0.2 wt% sodium borate buffer,
balance water. - The thermal ink-jet pen of Claim 2 wherein said diameter of nozzles associated with heater resistors firing black ink is about 45 µm and wherein the diameter of nozzles associated with heater resistors firing any of cyan, yellow, and magenta inks is about 40 µm.
- The thermal ink-jet pen of Claim 2 wherein the volume of black ink droplets is about 115 pl and wherein the volume of any of cyan, yellow, and magenta inks is about 95 pl, as measured at room temperature.
- The thermal ink-jet pen of Claim 1 wherein said heated environment exposed said pen to a temperature of about 20° to 25°C above ambient temperature.
- The thermal ink-jet pen of Claim 1 wherein said higher density resolution is greater than 180 dots per inch.
- The thermal ink-jet pen of Claim 8 wherein said higher density resolution is at least about 300 dots per inch.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US87492592A | 1992-04-28 | 1992-04-28 | |
US874925 | 1992-04-28 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0569156A2 true EP0569156A2 (en) | 1993-11-10 |
EP0569156A3 EP0569156A3 (en) | 1995-10-18 |
EP0569156B1 EP0569156B1 (en) | 1998-01-21 |
Family
ID=25364875
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP93303036A Expired - Lifetime EP0569156B1 (en) | 1992-04-28 | 1993-04-20 | Optimizing print quality and reliability in a CYMK printing system |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US5521622A (en) |
EP (1) | EP0569156B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPH0624011A (en) |
DE (1) | DE69316432T2 (en) |
Cited By (7)
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WO1996032289A1 (en) * | 1995-04-12 | 1996-10-17 | Eastman Kodak Company | Apparatus for printing multiple drop sizes and fabrication thereof |
EP0758585A2 (en) * | 1995-08-10 | 1997-02-19 | Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. | Ink-jet recorder |
EP0764532A2 (en) * | 1995-09-22 | 1997-03-26 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Liquid ejection head and apparatus and liquid ejection method |
US5892524A (en) * | 1995-04-12 | 1999-04-06 | Eastman Kodak Company | Apparatus for printing multiple drop sizes and fabrication thereof |
EP1287993A1 (en) * | 2001-09-04 | 2003-03-05 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Recording unit, image recording apparatus and image recording method |
DE19861069B4 (en) * | 1997-12-19 | 2005-03-17 | Fujitsu Isotec Ltd., Inagi | Inkjet Printer |
EP1844935A1 (en) * | 2005-01-31 | 2007-10-17 | National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology | Collective transfer ink jet nozzle plate and method for manufacturing the same |
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US6234612B1 (en) * | 1997-03-25 | 2001-05-22 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Ink jet printing apparatus having first and second print cartridges receiving energy pulses from a common drive circuit |
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US6137502A (en) * | 1999-08-27 | 2000-10-24 | Lexmark International, Inc. | Dual droplet size printhead |
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US7909428B2 (en) * | 2006-07-28 | 2011-03-22 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Fluid ejection devices and methods of fabrication |
JP2011016906A (en) * | 2009-07-08 | 2011-01-27 | Sony Corp | Recording liquid |
EP2456833B1 (en) | 2009-07-20 | 2017-04-12 | Markem-Imaje Corporation | Solvent-based inkjet ink formulations |
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- 1993-04-20 EP EP93303036A patent/EP0569156B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1993-04-20 DE DE69316432T patent/DE69316432T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1993-04-28 JP JP5124919A patent/JPH0624011A/en active Pending
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1994
- 1994-10-07 US US08/320,104 patent/US5521622A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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US4505749A (en) * | 1983-06-24 | 1985-03-19 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Method of forming color images |
US4746935A (en) * | 1985-11-22 | 1988-05-24 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Multitone ink jet printer and method of operation |
US4683481A (en) * | 1985-12-06 | 1987-07-28 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Thermal ink jet common-slotted ink feed printhead |
DE3717294A1 (en) * | 1986-06-10 | 1987-12-17 | Seiko Epson Corp | INK-JET RECORDING DEVICE |
EP0526233A2 (en) * | 1991-08-01 | 1993-02-03 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Ink jet recording apparatus |
Cited By (15)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5892524A (en) * | 1995-04-12 | 1999-04-06 | Eastman Kodak Company | Apparatus for printing multiple drop sizes and fabrication thereof |
WO1996032289A1 (en) * | 1995-04-12 | 1996-10-17 | Eastman Kodak Company | Apparatus for printing multiple drop sizes and fabrication thereof |
US6022098A (en) * | 1995-08-10 | 2000-02-08 | Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. | Ink-jet recorder |
EP0758585A3 (en) * | 1995-08-10 | 1997-08-13 | Fuji Xerox Co Ltd | Ink-jet recorder |
EP0758585A2 (en) * | 1995-08-10 | 1997-02-19 | Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. | Ink-jet recorder |
EP0764532A3 (en) * | 1995-09-22 | 1997-09-03 | Canon Kk | Liquid ejection head and apparatus and liquid ejection method |
EP0764532A2 (en) * | 1995-09-22 | 1997-03-26 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Liquid ejection head and apparatus and liquid ejection method |
US6062680A (en) * | 1995-09-22 | 2000-05-16 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Liquid ejection head and apparatus and liquid ejection method |
CN1081544C (en) * | 1995-09-22 | 2002-03-27 | 佳能株式会社 | Liquid ejection head and apparatus and liquid ejection method |
DE19861069B4 (en) * | 1997-12-19 | 2005-03-17 | Fujitsu Isotec Ltd., Inagi | Inkjet Printer |
EP1287993A1 (en) * | 2001-09-04 | 2003-03-05 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Recording unit, image recording apparatus and image recording method |
US6749290B2 (en) | 2001-09-04 | 2004-06-15 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Recording unit, image recording apparatus and image recording method |
EP1844935A1 (en) * | 2005-01-31 | 2007-10-17 | National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology | Collective transfer ink jet nozzle plate and method for manufacturing the same |
EP1844935A4 (en) * | 2005-01-31 | 2010-03-31 | Nat Inst Of Advanced Ind Scien | Collective transfer ink jet nozzle plate and method for manufacturing the same |
US7971962B2 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2011-07-05 | National Institute Of Advanced Industrial Science And Technology | Collective transfer inkjet nozzle plate and method of producing the same |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0569156A3 (en) | 1995-10-18 |
JPH0624011A (en) | 1994-02-01 |
EP0569156B1 (en) | 1998-01-21 |
DE69316432D1 (en) | 1998-02-26 |
US5521622A (en) | 1996-05-28 |
DE69316432T2 (en) | 1998-05-07 |
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